Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-11-05
COON DOGS AND COONS.
UNCLE EFRUM'S HUNT THROUGH
SWAMP AND BRAKE.
a Night CT Climbing Through Wood
and Brush-F'un for Darkies, but
Rough on "Tender-foots."
IRON the New York Times !

From the New York Times
BALTIMORE, October 21st-Two South
ern Maryland darlxies met at cross
roads
Nose" said one, "das a good rabbit
dog o yourn."
"IIe was onct," said Nose, shut he
amt now. He's got too proud. He's done
had der imperdence to sot himself up for a
coon dog"
To the country negro the hight of ca
nine excellence is good coon dog. The
greatest prize in the Queens register is a
second-rate animal compared to this peer
less creature. And all the sports in the
| world, from baseball to colored camp
meeting horse-race, cannot equal first
class coon hunt. 1t has not been many
years since the number of coon skins
| tackled to mans barn door in the back
woods districts was one of the things by
! which his Importance was estimated
The sport still remains 1t does not
| flourish as it once did, but there is enough
| of the old-time enthusiasm left to make
Maryland coons cautious about life. These
cool, crisp nights, with just enough light
| to add weirdness TO the experience, are
capitally adapted to the sport
There were three of us fresh from the
city, and when we told Uncle Ephraim
| pronounced by his family Uncle Efrum,
and generally abbreviated Uncle Eph)
| that we wanted to go with him on hunt,
| he did moi 10 talya "a
Veteran coon hunters have no fondness for
greenhorns, and at least two of us belonged
to that category.
is you willin' to wade froo briers an
mud and stay out till daylight ?' he asked.
owe are"
"Bery well, gent'men, berry well. Ell
you git too much of it IL won't be de ole
mans doin'."
Eight o'clock was the hour agreed upon,
and at $50 everybody was ready. We, of
course, had on the worst clothes that we
could get. Eph was accompanied by three
colored men and four coon dogs-thick-
jointed, muscular, short-legged animals of
more activity and noise than beauty.
These dogs kept up ceaseless barking,
| and When the start was made they bounded
away in full cry. With this noise and the
Hi! Hi Therew of Eph, and,the banter
of the other negroes, things were lively
and exhilarating.
A coon-hunting party spurns the con-
ventionalities of civilization such as roads
and gates. From the start our progress
was great hurdle-race over fences, bitches
and logs. We plunged on through the
corn-field with stout hearts and stumbling
feet. The young darkies rushed ahead,
turning somersaults and making prize
jumps like the acrobats that they were.
When they got tired of that they I'M
bosomed their souls in song, with the
yelping of the dogs for chorus:
De ole man coon am sly ole cuss,
Git erlong coon dog now,
EN- de lady coon leetle bit WusS
Git erlong coon dog now
oh, we hunts EN- when de night gifts dark.
Git erlong coon dog now,
En- dey runs when dey hear de big dogs bark,
Git erlong coon dog now.
But, deed, Mister Coon, it's no use to try,
Git erlong coon dog now,
For when we comes out you sc got to die
Git erlong coon dog now.
And so on until Eph called halt. He
was too old in experience to throw away
all his energy at the start He knew that
it would be needed before the night was
over, and he cautioned everybody else to
that effect. Then he proceeded to tell us
about coons. A coon, he said, was the
cleverest animal on four legs. He is as
cunning as fox, as patient as Job and as
strong as iron. He has more tricks than a
ward politician, and more staying powers
than mule. His trail was cold and scent.
less. He led his pursuers through the
thickest parts of the swamp and deep hol-
lows, crossed and recrossed streams. stopped
dozen feet from tree, sprung through
the air, hit the tree, glided up to the long
est branch, and leaped five or six yards TO
the ground again, breaking the scent and
putting the dogs to the necessity of hunt
Ing it again. The coon had tick for
every emergency, and it must be very
bright dog, with the keenest of noses, who
could follow his devious path. No wise
coon ever went out on a bright moonlight
night. Like the sinner, he preferred WAYS
that are dark. One cause of this was his
eyesight; another, his fear of his own
shadow. He knows 'nuf ter sleep all day
ZEN den to spend de dark nights prowliIi'
arter other peoples property" said Eph.
" he am curious critter zen a sly critter
ZEN he kin fight like corn-feld niger full
of whisky"
We had advanced considerable dis
lance in the woods and we were stumbling
over logs and getting castigated by SPRING
ing limbs and branches to such an extent
that conversation did not have the interest
that it had on clear ground. There were
several falls, of course, for our Pickering
torches did not disclose all the treacherouS
obstacles in our path, and involuntary
gymnastics were the consequence. 1t was
a queer torchlight procession, and every
thing was inexpressibly weird. But
with it all was an intense desire to find
coon.
The dogs were ahead barking spasmod-
ically. Suddenly the bark broke out into
something like yell; then it became
stronger, louder, steadier Eph was all
action. Come on, come on. Dey've
found him." he exclaimed, and forward we
went in one great dash after the dogs.
Scratches and falls and mud did not stop
us. The full stimulus of the excitement
was in our souls and we would go to that
coon if he were defended by fourteen COM
panies of militia. 1t was long chase.
The dogs seemed to go in half a, dozen cir
cles and to plunge through the meanest
part of the swamp, but we followed as if
our lives depended upon it. Eph was
ahead and his sixty years appeared like so
many feathers on his excited head. At
last we reached black gum tree, some
what isolated in the depths of the woods.
The dogs were under it and barking furi-
ously.
ooh, amt dis luck p said Eph. "Got
you already, Mister Coon. Oh Hol Ho
Ho! One o You niggers- Bill-climb de
tree. Boys, git yer clubs. Hol Flo Mis-
ter Coon Shake him on dis side. Good
by, Mister Coon, Hurry up. Now come
erlong, Mister Coon. Vow
The excitement was at fever heat. The
noise of the dogs, the ecstacy of Eph, the
u IlhlIlL laf th.a h1..... l.